External stoppers: If you spend too much time on eBay, keep a clock by your computer and limit yourself to smaller chunks of time online.

Slowly cutting down: Try to cut down the amount of time you spend on eBay slowly over time.

Time management: Try and log on towards the end of the day when you have fulfilled all other responsibilities.

Have a good support network: Let those who are closest to you know that you have a problem. Successful treatment of addiction is greatly helped by having a stable loving support network.

Encouragingly, Dr Young has not seen a sharp rise in individuals seeking treatment.

She said: "It's been steady over the last five or six years, but it feels that addiction services need to take this more seriously, as eBay addiction is light-heartedly banded around in everyday conversation.

"I think they need to address Internet addiction in general more systematically - and eBay is just one subtype."

'Not a real addiction'

But others are far from convinced by the concept of internet addiction.

By over applying the addiction label we are in danger of both unduly scaring the public and trivialising the negative impacts of genuine addiction cases

Dr Richard WoodNottingham Trent University

Dr Richard Wood, a senior lecturer and addictions expert also based at Nottingham Trent University, said: "My own view is that the label "addiction" is being over used and incorrectly applied.

"There is no such diagnosis as "eBay" addiction that has been incorporated into any respectable criteria.

"Instead people like Dr Young are adapting the criteria for substance abuse and/or pathological gambling."

However, Dr Wood said drug addiction was far more common - and had much more profound implications for health and criminality.

"Of course, some people will do all kinds of activities too much if they are distracting enough to allow them to escape from their reality.

"I would argue that these are not bona-fide cases of addiction unless the activity itself has severe negative consequences, that the experience itself is the main driver of their behaviour, and that it affects enough people that it can be considered problematic in and of itself.

"eBay does not fit into that category.

"Furthermore, by over applying the addiction label we are in danger of both unduly scaring the public and trivialising the negative impacts of genuine addiction cases."